This son of a gun looks prehistoric.
According to Field & Stream, a Camp Hill, Pennsylvania man was taking a chartered bowfishing trip in Delaware Bay last month.
However, little did he know that the trip would end up being a lifechanging experience.
Jeremy Gipe went out with the Delaware-based Brossman Boys Bowfishing on June 30th, and was hoping it would lead to something big, considering the Brossman Boys are legends when it comes to fishing on the east coast, holding a number of different state and world records for different species of rays.
Ray hunting is quite popular in the Delaware Bay, as it contains a ton of cownose rays and southern rays in the late spring and early summer. But as it starts to warm up in July, we start to see more butterfly rays, as the species are typically found in warm oceans across the world.
Although these creatures are massive, they don’t have stingers, and aren’t harmful to humans, as they don’t have spines.
Gipe and the Brossman Boys located a butterfly ray treading the surface of the water around 11:30 PM, and oddly enough, they thought the ray was small in size from what they could see.
He told the outlet:
“I happened to just see a light flash out of the corner of my eye that I thought was a bluefish. Then, I saw the triangle shape of the butterfly ray. Honestly, I figured it was one of the 130- to 140-pounders we’d caught before.”
So, Gipe took his shot with his bow, shooting it right in the head with a clean hit:
“When you shoot them in the head, for some reason they jump out of the water. This one came 4 or 5 inches out of the water. The other two gentlemen on the boat were able to get arrows into the ray then. It ran out about 60 yards before turning around and swimming back toward the boat.”
However, this wasn’t no ordinary, small sized butterfly ray. It ended up being the shot of a lifetime:
“I actually felt nauseous. I couldn’t believe it when I realized how big it was.”
They got the ray out of the water and put it on ice, and weighed it the next morning. That’s when they realized they may have a record on their hands.
It was seven feet, 4-1/8 inches long and weighed 222.54 pounds, which tops the Bowfishing Association of America’s current world record of 222.1 pounds, which was held by Nick Sampson in 2021.
I’d say that’s one helluva surprise.
Just look at the size of that thing…
16-Year-Old Texan Breaks Bowfishing World Record For Longnose Gar
World record alert.
According to KETK, 16-year-old Jacob Fisher caught the world record Longnose Gar out of Texas using his recurve bow set up.
With a name like that, I’m sure Fisher almost feels like he has to spend time on that waters and clearly, he has. To be able to bow fish at that age and successfully pull in a monster like this is an impressive feat.
Fisher and his father were out for a day of bowfishing when he shot and hooked a big one. He fought it for about 10-miuntes as it took line and came back in. Then every fisherman’s worst nightmare happened: the line went slack. Fish gone.
The disappointment and heartbreak of losing a big one is not easily forgotten. It’s about the only thing that can put a damper on a good day out on the lake.
There is only one way to get over that loss and its by catching one equivalent in size.
Fisher and his father moved along for the area and headed home for the day following the big loss. Heading into the end of the day they decided to go back out to where he had the big one on earlier and try their luck again.
“It was turning nighttime, and we headed back out because we didn’t want to miss an opportunity on this fish,”
This time the luck had changed. He ended up landing the Longnose Gar. Fisher and his father knew it was a big one, possibly thinking they had got a lake record measuring in at 63.5 inches and 56-pounds.
Little did they know it was actually a bowfishing world record.
Fishers father, Ryan summed it all up.
“Awesome, awesome shot he made on the fish I didn’t even know he had shot it at first, I was in the back of the boat getting my equipment ready”
Impressive.
Here’s the full report:
Missouri Bow-Fisherman Hauls In World Record Bighead Carp
It’s so big it doesn’t even look real.
The state of Missouri has been on an absolute heater this year when it comes to pumping out record sized fish. The state has seen 7 state fishing records broken just this year, most recently a kid who broke his dad’s record for a Longear Sunfish.
Earlier today, the Missouri Department of Conservation certified a 125-pound 5-ounce Bighead Carp that was arrowed by Matt Neuling as the new state record. He was bow-fishing with a buddy on Lake Perry south of St. Louis when he hauled in the monster fish.
“I was out with my buddy early that morning when we both shot what we thought was a 30-pound grass carp. My buddy’s arrow pulled out, but mine shot straight through and stayed in there.”
The fish took an additional arrow to immobilize it and it was so hefty that it required both men to lift it into the boat said Neuling.
“If my buddy wasn’t with me, there was no way I could have pulled it out of the water.”
The previous bow-fishing record for the species was 104-pounds and 15-ounces, so the new record shattered that mark. That fish was also arrowed by a bow-fisherman. The state record for Bighead Carp on a rod and reel was caught at the Lake of the Ozarks in 2004 and weighed 80-pounds.
It is Missouri’s 8th record breaking fish of the year. For the fish to become certified as a world record, Neuling will need to register the catch with the International Game Fish Association, but the fish is large enough to qualify for the top spot.
“It’s just crazy. You know, I set that goal of breaking a record every time I go out to fish, but I never would have thought I’d be breaking a record with this fish.”
A fisheries specialist with the Department of Conservation estimates that the fish more than a decade old.
“When fish get this size, we estimate it to be at least 10-years-old. Bighead carp are an invasive fish from Asia. This particular fish is an example of just how well an invasive species can thrive if given the opportunity. We encourage people to harvest these fish to help remove them from our waters.”
Bighead Carp are native to southern and central China, but now inhabit much of the southern Mississippi River basin. They are considered invasive in the U.S., and their populations are spreading rapidly amidst growing concern that they’re pushing native species out and ruining aquatic ecosystems.
The fish are eaten throughout much of the world, but then are not popular table-fare in the U.S. Lack of interest in eating them is part of the reason their populations have grown so fast without being kept in check by fishermen. Even though they’re not a preferred species for people looking to eat what they catch, they are very under rated in that regard.
While bow-fishing is the most common way to catch Bighead Carp, they can be caught on rods and reels. Similar to the silver carp, they have a unique bone structure in their fillets so they must be cleaned slightly different from other fish. For more information on targeting Bighead Carp for the table, check out the video below.
The Show Me State has a strong fishing culture. The world leader in the fishing industry, Bass Pro Shops, is headquartered in Springfield, Missouri and the surrounding area offers incredible fishing opportunities.
If you plan on doing any fishing in Missouri, then be sure you purchase a fishing license.
The sale of fishing licenses directly funds the protection and enhancement of public boat ramps, aquatic environments, and fish populations in all 50 states.
It also protects you from potentially being fined, having your gear confiscated, and/or losing your fishing privileges. It’s important to remember that just because you have a fishing license in one state, that does not mean it is valid in another state.
And as always, please fish responsibly and save the whiskey until after you’re off the water.
